How to Create a Fictional Character
Characters are one of the most important components of good fiction. Create compelling characters and your readers will follow them almost anywhere. Here are some helpful tips.
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Instructions
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How to Create a Fictional Character
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Create a mental picture in your head. Don't focus on what your character will look like but how he will act in certain situations---how he will sound---what his basic personality will be.
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Write out a brief character sketch, including a brief physical description, relevant background, personality, fears and motivations---anything you would be including in the story. Make sure to keep it handy so you can refer to it---this helps eliminate any continuity errors.
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Give your character flaws. People like a character they can identify with. People are imperfect and your character should be as well. No one can identify with a completely flawless character or a one-dimensional stereotype.
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Show, don't tell. Don't tell us that a character is nice, mean, funny, happy or sad. Instead, use dialog and situations to show what a certain character is like.
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Write dialog that is unique and realistic for the character. An 81-year-old grandmother should not sound the same as a 12-year-old boy. An aristocrat would not speak in the same fashion as a street urchin. Above all, the dialog should sound natural for the place and time in which the character is living.
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Tips & Warnings
Do your research. Get information about your character's profession, likes, dislikes and so forth. From a chef, to a detective, to an everyday teen---if you want your characters to be believable you need to find out as much as you can about their lives and the world they live in. The Internet is a very useful research tool.
